ISTANBUL: The ‘Yes’ campaign to give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expanded powers was ahead of its rival Sunday in a bitterly-contested referendum that will determine Turkey’s future destiny, initial results said.
The ‘Yes’ campaign had won 55.5 percent of the vote while the ‘No’ campaign had mustered 44.5 percent, the election commission said in figures quoted by state news agency Anadolu, in an initial count based on 65 percent of the ballot boxes.
The result could still change as more ballot boxes are counted across the hugely diverse country. The ‘No’ share of the vote was climbing as more ballots were counted, after lagging well behind in the early count, in a nail-biting end to the campaign.
For the changes to be implemented, the ‘Yes’ camp needs to win 50 percent plus one vote.
More than 55.3 million Turks were eligible to cast ballots on sweeping changes to the president’s role which, if approved, would grant Erdogan more power than any leader since modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his successor Ismet Inonu.
Voting in Istanbul with his family, Erdogan predicted that “our people would walk to the future” by making the right choice.
After a stamina-busting campaign that saw insults flung in both directions, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said: “Whatever choice comes out on top, our nation will make the most beautiful decision.”
Yildirim was later due to address supporters from the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara while Erdogan was due to watch the results in Istanbul.
Initial patterns showed that the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions and Kurdish-dominated southeast had backed the ‘No’ camp.
But the ‘Yes’ vote had held up in Erdogan’s Anatolian heartland and — crucially — was ahead in Turkey’s biggest cities of Istanbul and Ankara.
Unfair terms
The opposition has cried foul that the referendum has been conducted on unfair terms, with ‘Yes’ posters ubiquitous on the streets and opposition voices squeezed from the media.
The poll is also taking place under a state of emergency that has seen 47,000 people arrested in an unprecedented crackdown after the failed putsch of July last year.
“We are voting for Turkey’s destiny,” said the standard-bearer of the ‘No’ camp, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
The co-leaders of Turkey’s second largest opposition party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, have been jailed on charges of links to Kurdish militants in what the party says is a deliberate move to eliminate them from the campaign.
Closely watched on Monday will be the initial assessment of the international observer mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Three people were killed in a shootout in the garden of a school used as a polling station in the southeastern Diyarbakir region, the Dogan news agency said, but it was not clear if the fighting was linked to the election or simply a family feud.
If passed, the new presidential system would dispense with the office of prime minister and centralize the entire executive bureaucracy under the president, giving Erdogan the direct power to appoint ministers.
The system would come into force after the elections in November 2019. Erdogan, who became president in 2014 after serving as premier from 2003, could then seek two more five-year terms.
Supporters see the new system as an essential modernization step for Turkey that will remove the risk of the political chaos that blighted the 1990s and is blamed for the 2000-2001 financial crisis.
Opponents fear it risks granting Erdogan authoritarian powers and allow him to ride roughshod over key institutions like the judiciary and parliament.
In the Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakir, self-employed Nihat Aslanbay said he voted against the reforms.
“A one man regime will not bring any benefits to this country,” he said.
But in Istanbul, voter Emrah Yerlinkaya said he voted ‘Yes’ “to support” Erdogan. “If we are here today, it is thanks to him. I also voted because I support the constitutional reform.”
Warning to EU
Beyond changing the government system, the vote could also have even wider implications for Turkey which joined NATO in 1952 and for the last half-century has set its sights on joining the European Union.
Erdogan has warned Brussels that in the event of a ‘Yes’ vote he would sign any bill agreed by parliament to reinstate capital punishment, a move that would automatically end its EU bid.
Western reactions to the referendum outcome will be crucial after Erdogan accused Turkey’s allies of failing to show sufficient solidarity in the wake of the July 15 failed coup.
Sinan Ekim and Kemal Kirisci of the Brookings Institution think-tank said in a report the changes if agreed “would set in motion the most drastic shake-up of the country’s politics and system of governance in its 94-year-long history.”
'Yes' camp edging Turkey poll on Erdogan powers
'Yes' camp edging Turkey poll on Erdogan powers
A look at Ramadan and how Muslims observe the holy month
- Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons
- Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr
CAIRO: Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts. For Muslims, it’s a time for increased worship, religious reflection and charity. Socially, it often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast.
Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.
First day of Ramadan expected around Feb. 18-19
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons.
The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon. This year, the first day of Ramadan is expected to be on or around Feb. 18 or 19. The actual start date may vary among countries and Muslim communities due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent had been sighted or different methodologies used to determine the beginning of the month.
This year, the start of Ramadan is expected around the same time as Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians.
Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam
Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving and pilgrimage.
Muslims see various meanings and lessons in observing the fast.
It’s regarded as an act of worship to attain piety and one of submission to God. The devout see benefits, including practicing self-restraint, cultivating gratitude and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.
The daily fast in Ramadan includes abstaining from all food and drink — not even a sip of water is allowed — from dawn to sunset, before breaking the fast in a meal known as “iftar” in Arabic.
Muslims typically stream into mosques for congregational prayers and dedicate more time to religious contemplation and the reading of the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book.
Charity is a hallmark of Ramadan. Among other ways of giving, many seek to provide iftar for those in need, distributing Ramadan boxes filled with pantry staples, handing out warm meals alongside such things as dates and juice or helping hold free communal meals.
Muslims eat a predawn meal, called “suhoor,” to hydrate and nurture their bodies ahead of the daily fast.
Exemptions from fasting
There are certain exemptions, such as for those who are unable to because of illness or travel. Those unable to fast due to being temporarily ill or traveling need to make up for the missed days of fasting later.
Cultural and social traditions associated with Ramadan
Muslims are ethnically and racially diverse and not all Ramadan traditions are rooted in religion. Some customs may transcend borders, while others can differ across cultures.
Many social rituals center on gathering and socializing after the daily fast. Some Muslims decorate their homes, put out Ramadan-themed tableware and centerpieces or throng to markets and Ramadan bazaars.
In Egypt, Ramadan is typically a festive time. Colorful lanterns, in different shapes and sizes, dangle from children’s hands and adorn homes. Ramadan songs may be played to welcome the month.
Ramadan’s soundscape in Egypt has traditionally included the predawn banging on drums by a “mesaharati” who roams neighborhoods, calling out to the faithful, sometimes by name, to wake them up for the suhoor meal.
New TV shows and communal meals
A lineup of new television series is another social fixture of the month in some countries, and advertisers compete for viewers’ attention.
In various regions, some Muslims worry that the month is getting commercialized, and say an emphasis on decorations, TV shows, outings or lavish iftar banquets can detract from Ramadan’s religious essence. Others say that a balance can be struck and that, in moderation, such rituals are part of the month’s festive spirit.
In Indonesia, Ramadan rituals vary across regions, reflecting the diversity of cultures. In deeply conservative Aceh province, animals are slaughtered during Meugang festivities, the meat cooked and shared with family, friends, poor people and orphans.
Hundreds of residents in Tangerang, a city outside the capital, Jakarta, flock to the Cisadane River to wash their hair with rice straw shampoo and welcome the fasting month with a symbolic spiritual cleansing.
Across the island of Sumatra, after evening prayers, many boys and girls parade through the streets, carrying torches and playing Islamic songs.
In the United States, where Muslims make up a racially and ethnically diverse minority, gathering at mosques and Islamic centers when possible for iftar meals and prayers provides many Muslim families with a sense of community. Some Muslims also organize or attend interfaith iftar meals.
